End Of His Rope
by Klutzygirl33
Summary: Tony's stressed himself out to the point of getting sick after leaving Ziva and ends up hospitalized. Gibbs tries to fix it.


**I don't own NCIS and never will. No copyright infringement intended.**

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Tony was at the end of his rope. He had been falling apart ever since Ziva left and was stressed beyond belief. So when he started to get sick, he tried his best to ignore what he thought was a cold and kept working. However, he woke up two days later feeling like shit and groaned. Tony went into work anyway, which he knew was stupid but didn't care. He just hoped they didn't have a case.

"You look like you need to go home," a worried McGee told Tony when he walked in to the bullpen.

"What I need to do is work." He actually didn't feel like doing much of anything, but McGee didn't need to know that. He sat down and stifled a groan. All he wanted to do was lie down and sleep, but that wasn't going to happen. Tony wouldn't let it.

Bishop and Gibbs had just joined the two of them when Tony stood up to say something, but things took a turn. He started to get dizzy and swayed on his feet for a few seconds. The three of them watched in horror as his illness finally caught up to him and he went down. Gibbs rushed to his side immediately, barking at Bishop to call for an ambulance and for McGee to go get Ducky.

McGee bolted like a bat out of hell. "Is he going to be okay?" Bishop questioned after she hung up the phone.

Gibbs sighed. "I don't know. Tony, wake up for me, will ya? That's an order!" No response, but then again, he hadn't really expected one.

Ducky and McGee showed up a few minutes later. "What has Anthony gotten himself into now?"

"I knew I should have sent him home, but he's stubborn." Gibbs was just glad that someone was around for this and Tony wasn't alone.

When the EMTs showed up, Gibbs and Ducky followed Tony into the ambulance. McGee and Bishop reluctantly stayed back in case they had to do any work.

"We're not getting anything done. We should just go to the hospital, right?" He wished he had followed them to the hospital.

Bishop shrugged. "I'm worried too, but I'm sure he'll be fine. Why don't you go and I'll stay here in case something comes up? I'll be by the hospital after work is over." She had a feeling Tony was going to be admitted.

Ducky and Gibbs sat in the waiting room, hoping for answers soon. Gibbs knew that Tony had been pushing himself too hard since Ziva left, but he hadn't done anything about it. He should have stepped in earlier and now he felt guilty.

"Jethro, I know what you're thinking and it is not your fault," Ducky assured him. They all knew that Tony was falling apart without Ziva (their co-dependence worried him) but they figured he would pick himself up soon. They hadn't expected him to get sick and end up in the hospital.

Gibbs went to answer, but a doctor came out first. "Family of Tony DiNozzo?"

"That's us. What's wrong with Tony? Is he going to be okay?" He knew he was grilling the man, but honestly didn't care.

"He has a case of pneumonia that was worsened by the y. pestis he suffered from years ago. He should recover soon, but we'd like to keep him here for a few days. Would either of you like to visit him?" The doctor smiled at them.

"I'll go in." Gibbs followed a nurse back to a room. "Hey, Tony. How you doing?" He intended to yell at Tony later about not telling how sick he was, but now wasn't the time.

Tony was awake, but his eyes were closed. He didn't seem aware of his surroundings or Gibbs' words. "Ziva?"

"She's not here right now. Go back to sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up." He knew what he had to do now, what he should have done earlier. So he briefly stepped out of the room and sent Ducky in while he made a phone call.

Tony was in and out of it for the next day and a half until he woke up feeling a little better, but not by much. The medication was helping, but he still felt like ship. And he did a double take when a surprise entered his field of vision.

"Hello, Tony." Ziva beamed at him, waving nervously.

He certainly hadn't expected to see her. "How? Why?" Tony wanted to say more, but he didn't have the energy.

She picked his hand up and clasped it with hers. "Gibbs called me and told me you were sick. He said that you've been a 'fucking mess' without me and I better haul my ass back here immediately. I was worried, and let us face it, how could I say no to that?"

He laughed and immediately wished he hadn't as he began to cough. "Only reason you're here?" Full sentences were beyond him at this point.

Ziva shook her head. "Of course not. I love you. And over these past few months, I began to realize I made a mistake. I should have followed you when you asked. But I need to find myself again and figure out what I wanted. And that is a new job and you."

"Love you too," he murmured, a smile lighting up his (pale) face.

"I am glad."

He patted the bed. "Over here. Want you by my side."

She was worried a little about getting sick, but she was more worried about him. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Tony yawned. "Won't be. Come on." He patted the bed again and stared at Ziva until she complied.

"This is nice. We should do this more often. Preferably when you are not ill."

"Good idea. Still be here in the morning?" Tony didn't want to get his hopes up. He was emotionally drained by the events of the past several months and he really didn't want to do this without her.

"Of course. I'm not going anywhere. I promise you that, Tony. Now go to sleep because you look like death warmed under."

"Over," he corrected before his eyes closed and he fell back asleep.

And she was there the next morning. She was by his side as he was discharged from the hospital a few days later, too. Ziva did not rejoin NCIS – she and Bishop hit it off, though and soon became friends – but looked for an alternate career. She ended up taking some ballet lessons and worked hard to become a teacher. And both Tony and Ziva both thanked Gibbs profusely for his meddling. It took Tony a while to recover from his pneumonia, but he was secretly happy that it had brought Ziva – the love of his life (his Shannon, he confided in Gibbs one day) – back to him.


End file.
